1. Story of The Buddha

1.1. Siddhartha Gautama - Prince- escaped – saw sickness, age and death- he turned to yogi’s and to the Jains– this did not give him a deep understanding (the only thing he discovered was his craving) - followed the 'middle way' - he sat in meditation under a bodhi tree for several days and saw the answers to the question of suffering and gained enlightenment.

2. Historical/social/political/religious background Buddha

2.1. Great period of social and economic change - The Buddha lived in India's second period of urbanisation

2.3. Buddha and the Yogis

2.3.1.1. 'this teaching does not lead to dispassion, to fading of desire, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge of meditation, to awakening, to realise; it leads only to the meditative planes of nothingness.'

2.3.1.2. Buddha was sympathetic with the teaching that salvation must be sought from within

2.3.1.3. But, the final goal must be different - a changed in the quality of thought and feeling, not in meditative effort

2.3.1.3.1. Development of Insight Meditation

2.4. Buddha and the Jains

2.4.1. Jains - the self can be found through self mortification

2.4.1.1. The Buddha practised this 'But all he has to show was his ribcage'.

5. Ethics

5.1. Buddhism - an answer to the question of the best kind of life for man to lead.

5.2. Foundation in the Dharma (part of the 8 fold path)

5.3. Karma - the ethical implications of Dharma

5.3.1. Keown - 'Karmic actions are moral actions'

5.4. 5 precepts of minimum obligation (layman)

5.4.1. Non violence

5.4.2. Not to take what is not freely given

5.4.3. Not to engage in sexual immorality

5.4.4. Not speaking falsely

5.4.5. Avoidance of intoxicants

5.4.6. There are a lot more, but they are guidelines. You can take on more on festival days or for set periods of time.

5.5. Monasticism

5.5.1. 227 different rules of restraint

5.5.2. Lay and monastic are different as they have different aspirations in Buddhism

5.5.2.1. Lay - hoping for a better rebirth

5.5.2.2. Monks - hoping for enlightenment and then nirvana

6. Monasticism

6.1. Early sources - four-fold order (monks, nuns and devout make and female followers)

6.2. Buddha taught his monks to travel out of compassion for the world and to preach the dharma

6.2.1. During the rainy season there were complaints that monks trampled the young rice crop so Buddha permitted them to stay in one place. But monks could not build dwelling places so were completely reliant on the community.

6.3. Clothing

6.3.1. Important symbols of detachment and a humble way of life.

6.3.2. Laity gifted the saffron material to them

6.4. Alms giving

6.4.1. Monks do not work or have any money, they rely on the lay community for food

6.4.2. Go from door to door on alms rounds once a day.

6.4.3. giving alms was one of the best ways for laity to achieve merit.

6.5. Separate and distinct from the lay community but also completely reliant on them.

7. Atta

7.1. Everything in existence is subject to change and cessation - there cannot be a soul

7.2. The doctrine on not-self

7.3. Person hood (uses the example of a chariot in 'Questions of King Milinda) Personhood is a conventional, but not a real truth.

7.3.1. A chariot is not a pole, an axle, wheels etc. A chariot is a designation, a conceptual term, a name that we give when all these things come together. A person is just the same - lots of different parts which we give one name.

8. Karma and rebirth

8.1. Context - Brahmins and early Jains

8.1.1. Brahmins (good karma is produce by practises sacrifices and rituals, fruits of this follow from this life to the next

8.1.2. Early Jainism (all karma is bad as all action is liable to injure other living beings)

8.1.3. Buddhist doctrine is different because its based on ethics

8.2. 6 realms of rebirth

8.2.1. Hell

8.2.2. rebellious gods

8.2.3. animals

8.2.4. human

8.2.5. hungry ghosts (greed)

8.3. Good deeds result in upward movement within the 6 realms - not punishment though - individuals are the sole author of their fortunes

8.4. karma = action (moral)

8.5. By freely choosing an individual shaped his character - 'sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.'

8.6. Some consequences are felt life-times ahead - rebirth

9. Dharma

9.1. Nothing of the dharma was written down in the Buddha's life - there were three ways of learning - listening, reflecting, spiritual practise

9.2. 3 months after the Buddha's death - first attempt to formalise teaching (but not written down - oral transmission, communal recitation)